A German student has developed an airbag for your phone, well sort of. Watch how this case with springs protects your phone from falls.

The AD phone case has eight pop-out springs to prevent the device from any scratch or crack.(Landesschau Baden-Württemberg)

There are plenty of choices when it comes to getting a pretty phone case or a customised one. But what about one that will protect our phones without making them look bulky? A new phone case patented by a German student, Philip Franzel, has an interesting way to protect it from falls.

The AD (active dampening) phone case is equipped with sensors which detect when the device is going to fall. Once the sensors detect a potential fall, there are these eight curved springs that pop out from each side giving support to the phone thereby protecting it from any scratch or crack. This phone case has only been patented till now but there’s a video demonstrating how it works.

In the demo video, Franzel drops the phone and just seconds before it hits the ground, springs on the corners pop out. After this, the hook-like springs need to be manually pushed back under the phone case. There are eight springs in total which pop out from each corner of the phone. The four springs on the top are located just below the rear camera lens.

The phone case used in the video is that for an Apple iPhone. The patent design also shows an iPhone meaning it could be exclusive to Apple.

While the phone case appears to work perfectly for flat surfaces, it may not be the same for uneven surfaces. The phone case in general is black in colour and has an elevated panel at the rear for the four springs. This may not be the final design of the AD phone case. Much is expected from the kid who has already been awarded the German Society of Mechatronics for his work.